A Message from the CTO:

IT continues to work diligently to maintain a seamless infrastructure for all of Troy's needs. We hope you enjoy reading the IT Update.

During the winter break, a flurry of IT activity occurred. During the period, IT staff work a total of 1017 hours to upgrade core infrastructure.

In the past six months, much has changed. New identity management infrastructure, new collaborative systems, new email product, updated desktop productivity software highlight the list of major efforts.

The importance of training cannot be underestimated. Technology changes, quickly. In order to take advantage of software, hardware solutions, users must be adequately trained. In 2015, IT held 210 unique training sessions and during the IT Summit an additional 76 sessions were offered. We anticipate 2016 to be another fast-paced year. In order to take full-advantage of enhancements, to gain efficiencies through technology, users need to be trained properly. Please visit the IT web presence to view upcoming training sessions.

The new email/collaboration environment is a major improvement. Over 90,000 end user accounts have been migrated to the new solution. The unified communications experience is incomparable. Massive storage, endless interactivity options will foster a leaner, vibrant experience for all users, despite the device or operating system type. Read more at http://it.troy.edu/office365/index.html.

IT Security is a constant effort; the media reminds us daily of the severe consequences of poor security practices and the frailty of our connected world. Higher Education continues to be one of the most heavily-attacked sectors in the world. As threats evolve, so do regulatory mandates. In late 2015, a Presidential Executive Order extended a number of legislative acts to include higher education. As a result, IT has begun a revamping of compliance efforts. In the coming months, we will announce changes affected by improvement of our security practices. For employees, in particular, scheduled password resets, encryption of additional classes of data and mandatory annual security awareness training are emphasized within the new regulatory framework.

As you review the IT Update, take special note of the My Troy Portal and associated mobile app. The new features and streamlining of interactions are vast improvements. We appreciate the students and employees who participated in the focus groups; your efforts assisted greatly in the forging of exciting new technology for TROY. Where’s the portal? http://my.troy.edu, read more about it below.

The IT innovation lab is an exciting collaboration with Troy Libraries. The ability to test drive new technologies, explore emerging educational technologies will debut soon. Read more below.

University Wide News

:: Networking

Troy Campus

IT has rolled out enhanced Wi-Fi to the latest technology 802.11AC. All areas that have wireless coverage have now been converted to the newer technology and additional areas of coverage were added for heavy usage events. More areas are being evaluated for wireless coverage at this time, including outdoor areas around campus.

Riverfront Building Construction Completed

Construction was completed on the Phenix City Campus Riverfront Building in July 2015. The Networking Division completed the installation of wired and wireless network equipment assisted the Telecom Division with the installation of telephony equipment through July, in preparation for the first classes to be held in August. The equipment installed includes 624 wired network ports and 33 wireless access points, and redundant core network switches.

Wireless Network and Telephony Upgrades

The construction of the Riverfront Building in Phenix City afforded the opportunity for upgrades of wireless network equipment at Phenix City’s existing location, and enabled the installation and consolidation of telephony gear into the Troy Campus telecom infrastructure.

:: Systems

New Relay Server

A new relay server was setup and configured.

Single Sign On

In an effort to consolidate system logons, the following systems have been configured to authenticate to Active Directory (AD): EchoSign, Blackboard, LMS, Portal, Campus Labs, and EZProxy

Portal ILP

Two new servers were setup and configured for Portal ILP. ILP allows the integration of web parts and mobile solutions with Portal.

NAS Migrations

Migrated all user shares from Global campus NAS devices back to the Troy Datacenter.

PDQDeploy

Five new servers were setup and configured for PDQDeploy. PDQDeploy allows software applications and patches to be pushed to user’s workstations.

DNS Server

A new DNS server was setup and configured to handle DNS requests on the internal network.

Backup Server – A new server was installed and configured to perform backups on the private network.

WebUI

Upgraded and migrated the WebUI software to new server hardware. WebUI is the user interface for the University’s ERP system

:: Technical Services and eSystems

EchoSign Workflow Development

As of December 2015, Troy University has twenty-one forms deployed through EchoSign. Fourteen of these forms are currently utilizing custom developed automated workflows. There are currently four forms in the development process and fifteen forms in the review process. Since May 1, 2015, 17,271 forms have been processed through EchoSign.

Active Directory Migrations

Active Directory Migrations continued through August 2015 to insure that all University owned computers were migrated.

Digital Display

New digital displays have been implemented in the new Phenix City Riverfront Building.

Digital displays have been installed throughout the New Dorm on the Troy Campus.

Conference Room Upgrades

The Patterson Hall Conference Room has been upgraded with new technology in order to make the room more efficient.

Email Migrations

IT began migrations of all Students, Faculty, and Staff from our old email system to Microsoft Office 365. This new email system offers better stability along with increased functionality. Of the groups that have been visited, eight-five percent of all the migrations have been completed.

Epson Contract

Technical Services worked with Epson Account Manager for Troy, regarding a NoCC No Credit Card Exchange Agreement contract. This is a free service and allows Troy University to establish a service account with Epson without having to use a credit card or having to ship the damaged unit in first. Once a call is placed with support using the Epson account number, a replacement product will shipped that day to replace the damaged equipment.

Basecamp Project Management

During 2015 Technical Services deployed a new project management solution. Basecamp allows users to communicate and collaborate on projects easily and efficiently. The Dashboard provides all discussions, to-do lists, files, text documents and events in one glance. An independent division or college can be developed within Basecamp with all personnel added.

LogMeIn New Feature

Technical Services launched a new feature within LogMeIn Administrator portal called Rescue Lens. The feature allows video-enabled support solution and technicians can use the camera of a mobile device to provide a secure live camera feed. Allowing support to see the actual situation the customer is facing to help resolve configuration and troubleshooting issues.

PDQ Software

Technical Service configures a new software and patch management solution. PDQ Deploy is a tool for remotely deploying software to multiple computers simultaneously. The solution saves time and effort by allowing administrators to distribute software through our campuses with less manpower. Administrators can create package definitions and then easily and quickly deploy the packages to any computer on our network, some main features are deploying applications and patches, scheduling deployments, integrate with Custom Tools and Scripts. Technical Services has configured PDQ Deploy and PDQ Inventory on all campuses.

New SPSS Version

Technical Services obtained a new version of SPSS, which is version 23. The SPSS 23 was tested, verified and is ready for installation for our end-user community. Some of the new features in SPSS version 23 are extending the value of the big data, geospatial analytics, and embedding analytics into the enterprise.

:: Web

Welcome to Portal - my.TROY.edu

Throughout 2015 IT staff have worked to setup and deploy a new, dynamic system simply referred to as Portal. The Portal system aggregates information from several services that students and employees already use, including Trojan Web Express, Office 365, Blackboard and the Trojan website. It will also serve as a repository for critical information and documents, making it easier to find content without needing to visit other websites.

Portal also supports collaborative tools, empowering employees with new ways to share data inside and outside of their departments. The site employs responsive design techniques; your visit will be adjusted based on your device type.

By visiting your personalized homepage in the Portal you will have quick access to:

Preparation to deploy the Portal has required coordination with many divisions within and outside of the IT department. In addition, prior to official launch, which began December 14th, students and employees provided valuable testing and usage feedback, which will be used to further improve the Portal.

Anyone interested in accessing the Portal now can visit my.TROY.edu and login using their Trojan Web Express credentials. Additional information can also be found at our Portal information site.

Enhancing Online Form Deployment with Formstack

This fall the IT department began launching new forms using a service named Formstack. The service provides secure data storage and rapid form development, making it well suited for building a variety of different forms, especially those that need to be accessible to employees and the general public.

Use of Formstack is only one enhancement to online forms with additional services and options available in the near future. If you have a need for a simple form to collect information for your department then we encourage you to contact the IT department for more information.

Improve Your Web Content Using Analytics

Many departments may not be aware that Web analytics, information that shows how visitors interact with content, is readily available upon request. If desired, automated reports can be setup to be delivered via e-mail or, with approval of the department head, staff can be provided with direct access to Google Analytics Web reports.

The reports can be invaluable in determining how engaged visitors are with content and which pages are the most popular. Examples of available information include the total number of visitors in a month, mobile devices used, and even the locations where most visitors come from. To gain access to this data simply submit a Helpdesk ticket with the details of your request and ensure that your department head approves the request. Data is available for www.troy.edu, trojan.troy.edu and other sites including the new Portal system.

Academics Division

:: Networking

Wireless Enhancement for Apple Teaching Product

Another access point has been added to an area of Sorrell Hall that will be used for new teaching technology utilizing the Apple TV. This product will mimic the technology setup in Hawkins Hall based on information shared between the schools of Education and Mathmatics.

Issues with Dropped Connectivity for SCOB Labs

The School of Business has had issues when student were taking exams with online testing centers such as Certiport. IT worked with the School of Business to identify the possible root cause of the issue and has offered several solutions to the issue. As of last notice, the issue may have been caused by a piece of software deployed in the labs and testing was initiated with the software disabled. IT is awaiting a response from the School of Business if the problem existed afterwards during finals.

:: Technical Services and eSystems

Library ILS Migration Project

Software for the Library has been migrated from Sirsi ILS to OCLC WMS. This software will allows students to authenticate to the library systems using their Active Directory credentials.

Computer Labs

Thirty new computers have been installed in the Geography Lab to replace outdated equipment.

Ten new iMacs have been installed in the Theatre and Dance Lab to replace outdated equipment. A specialized software called Vectorworks used for stage designing was also installed in this lab.

Eight new computers have been installed in the Student Athletic Lab in the Stadium Tower. These computers will be used by student athletes for research, writing papers and testing.

Five new iMacs have been installed in the Tropolitan Lab to replace outdated equipment that continue to fail.

Five new computer have been installed in the Biology Lab to replace outdated equipment.

Sixteen new computers have been installed in the eTROY lab to replace outdated equipment.

Seventeen new computers have been installed in the Nursing Lab in Collegeview to replace outdated equipment.

Five new MACs have been installed in the Interpreter Training Lab in Hawkins Hall. These new MACS replaced some outdated Windows computers.

Fourteen new computers have been installed in the Student Support Services Lab in Eldridge Hall to replace outdated equipment.

Six new computers have been installed in the Student Services Testing Lab in Eldridge Hall to replace outdated equipment.

Twenty-five new computers have been installed in the McCartha Hall Lab to replace outdated equipment.

Thirty new computers have been installed in the Troy Library for student use.

TRI Lab

IT is pleased to announce the launch of a new offering: the TRI Lab, Troy Research and Innovation lab. In cooperation with Troy University Libraries, IT will launch a physical presence; the lab will be housed on the 2nd floor of Wallace Hall Library in Troy, AL. In the Innovation Lab, student and faculty will have the opportunity to interact with a wide-variety of new technologies, collaborate on projects or work independently on research.

The TRI-lab’s approach differs from that of other university labs, operating model, and governance. First, it accepts any student from any Troy college with any idea, fostering cross-disciplinary, cross-university collaboration. The i-lab resources support student ventures spanning art, entrepreneurship, health and sciences, technology. Second, it is student centered and faculty enabled, with programming supplied by the Information technology department to help students take their ideas as far as they can go. Third, the i-lab serves as a new model for university collaboration among all disciplines.

TRI Facility Facts
The TRI-lab consists of nearly 800 square feet of space, with more than 5 collaboration stations, most with projection capability, whiteboard walls, and a snacks and drinks area. There will 2 additional meeting/video conference suite on the 1st floor in the coming months as well.

The lab will house over $50,000 worth of technology donated by Troy University’s technology partners. Current partners include Howard Technology, Epson, Kyser Furniture, Okidata, Lenovo, AxisTV, Spectrum, Crestron, and Dalite. The design and donations were acquired by the Troy, AL Technical Services division.

Instructor Station Upgrades

Twenty-five instructor stations on the Montgomery Campus have been installed to replace outdated equipment.

Riverfront Building Construction Completed

Construction was completed on the Phenix City Campus Riverfront Building in July 2015. The Technical Service Division completed the installation of 7 classrooms, 3 labs, and 2 conference rooms, in preparation for the first classes to be held in August. The equipment installed includes lecterns, interactive short-throw projects, LCDs, document cameras, Wacom tablets, a touch panel controller, and software. A collaboration lab was completed, which houses collaboration stations with two LCDs per stations for the students to quickly and easily share and distribute information.

College of Education

Technical Services assisted Howard Computers and Visix with the install of three new digital displays for College of Education. The display will be used to broadcast local emergency notices, university and departmental announcements, also will broadcast a directory for Hawkins Hall.

Wright Hall

Technical Services along with Howard engineers install technology equipment in 212G Wright Hall. A large TV screen was added with DVD player and a laptop to enhance the classes for Speech and Language Department.

Patterson Hall 1st Floor Classrooms

Technical Services re-negotiated the installation cost with Howard Computers regarding the quote for new technology in the first floor classrooms of Patterson Hall. The negotiations resulted in a cost savings totaling $2,000. New classroom technology equipment was ordered and installed to create a better environment for professors to teach and for students to receive. The old equipment that was replaced was eleven years old and failing rapidly.

Advancement & External Relations Division

:: Networking

Recruiter VPN Access

Continued work on VPN accounts for addition and removal for recruiters in the field and looking into issue with SER on disconnects for recruiters at SER locations and what can be done to reduce and/or eliminate those.

Bandwidth Upgrade for Development

IT has now completed work with a local company to provide the Development Center with faster Internet services along with porting all traffic thru the Troy, AL campus site first via an encrypted tunnel.

Football

IT has installed additional credit card devices to cover every open booth for concessions at the Football Stadium for the fall season. There are now more 28 credit card devices for concessions at the stadium.

Renovation to Davis Field House

IT has installed new connections for the renovated space of the Davis Field House. We also added additional Wi-Fi capacity in the weight room on the lower level and connected the arm gate for the parking lot behind the Davis Field House to the network for control by the Security Office in Gardner Hall.

Finance & Business Affairs Division

:: Networking

TransAct (Trojan-Card) Upgrade

Blackboard Card Management System Upgrade: IT has completed the upgrade to the Trojan-Card and eAccounts system to the latest version and it will also afford students a way to check their balances online now. In addition to the Upgrade, IT assisted Food Services in positioning Point-of-Sale stations at the Football and Basketball Arena so students could utilize their Dining Dollars to purchase refreshments.

Inventory

Continuing to work on inventory in updating current list for all Troy IT inventory of products in relation to capitalized equipment, re-organizing categories, standardizing on product, and completing the additional information fields as required by Asset Management. Current inventory list is due to Asset Management on August 11th, 2014.

:: Technical Services and eSystems

PDQ Software

PDQ Deploy is a tool for remotely deploying software to multiple computers simultaneously. It saves time and effort by allowing administrators to install software. IT deployed this software to better manage software installation and save time for the end-user community.

IT Summit

On July 28 & 29, 2015, IT hosted the IT Summit. There were 74 sessions offered during this year’s Summit. Of these sessions, 27 were also offered via WebEx. We had 147 participants on site and 80 participants on line. We had 8 vendors participate in the exhibition area. The Summit was housed in the Trojan Center and used classrooms in Bibb Graves Hall, Patterson Hall and MSCX. Nineteen of the sessions were hands-on to benefit the end-user. An Internet Café was setup for participants to check email and various work items.

Secure Shared Environment

Technical Services setup secure NAS folders that were recently created for Student Financial Services to provide an added security measure to the environment. Technical Services assisted in attaching the users to their shares and transferring all University related files. These files were then deleted from their portable devices to further enhance security. The employees have been asked to use the share as their main storage space for any University related documents and files.

Student Services and Administration Division

:: ERP

Recruiter Analytics

Recruiter Analytics is a reporting and analytics solution for Enrollment Management and Admissions offices that combines data from Recruiter and Colleague. Troy IT and Enrollment Management are currently working to deploy the reporting solution. The information in Recruiter Analytics does the following: provides for effective recruitment, allows personnel to understand the effectiveness of campaigns, helps to identify and recruit students who would be successful at the institution.

Student Planning

Student Planning: Register for courses using Student Planning at https://sss.troy.edu/Student/
Through Student Planning, Students now have the ability to:

Plan Future Semesters and Terms

Track Degree Progress

Review and Archive Planned Courses

:: Networking

Guest Internet Access

IT assisted the Office of Student Affairs in re-locating the Pike County Virtual High School from the ELC building to a temporary location for this academic year. Network services, Wi-Fi, and Internet services were repositioned so the PCVHS could utilize these services in the new location on campus.

A secondary Internet connection was installed in the Phenix City Campus Riverfront Building in October 2015 for guest Internet access. The connections allows members of the community to access basic Internet services while attending functions hosted at the Riverfront facility.

Guest Accounts Logins have been requested and issued to International Programs for incoming non-registered student that must participate in the ESL program before. IT also created some 15 other guest accounts during the fall semester for various events held around campus ranging from Writing Workshops, to Inservice Events, Athletics events and Student Field Trips.

Construction

Construction was completed on the new dormitory that is New Resident Hall. All connectivity and cabling was completed in time for student move-in. Building feature IPTV with a television per room, Digital Signage at building entry points, wireless everywhere, media plates with Ethernet connections in each room.

Network Consolidation

Networking has now connected all Alabama and Georgia campus sites back to the Troy location via site-to-site encrypted tunnels. This will allow passing of traffic back and forth securely and directly. This has been further expanded to allow network to network client to server communication and some services and servers to be centrally located for better ease of management by the IT staff.

Wireless Controller Software Upgrades

IT has upgraded the dormitory wireless network controllers to the latest "Go-To" software version as per the vendors suggestion. This is add some enhanced features that will be added in the coming weeks/months to the dormitory networks.

Construction

Bartlett Hall renovations for the new Manuel Johnson Center at the Montgomery Campus required the installation of 11 data/voice outlets and one network switch.
IT and network support was provided in the move of the Confucius Institute to a more spacious accommodation in the Rosa Parks Library and Museum, 2nd floor.

Special Event

IT and network support were provided to the Rosa Parks Museum during renovations to the gift shop and Alabama Public Television’s broadcasting of events in conjunction with the public commemoration of the Bus Boycott Anniversary on Dec. 1.

Site Move

Initiated the move of the Eglin Air Force Base site to reposition equipment at the Pensacola location. All services and systems have now been relocated and/or turned off for the Eglin location.

:: Systems

Recruiter Server Upgrade

Software for the Ellucian Recruiter was upgraded to 3.7.1.

:: Technical Services and eSystems

New Dorm

Televisions and IPTV solution was installed in the 358 dorm rooms within the New Dorm on the Troy Campus and they were updated and tested prior to the moving in of the students in August.

Student Success Center Kiosks

New workstation kiosks have been added to the student success center at the Phenix City locations to accommodate new students and provide faster access to them due to an increase in enrollment.